Surviving a Fire and the decision to jump!

Surviving a fire and the decision to jump. 

Early on the morning of March 19, John Busch awoke to find that he had moments to make a life-or-death decision. A raging fire was ripping through his home as a wall of smoke and flame trapped him and his eldest son upstairs. Their only escape? A second story window, a treacherous fall, and the hard ground beneath. 

Imagine the moment you realize you must risk your life to try and save your life. That’s how John’s morning started. He is currently in a medically induced coma fighting, once again, to survive. 

John is a scrappy, dig-your-heels-in kind-of-guy -- he’s a fighter, a fixer, and a problem solver. His quick thinking and fearlessness are likely what got him through the window and onto this second round in his fight to survive. Those same traits are mirrored in his oldest son, his namesake. Our sweet, funny, mischievous, soft spoken, and big hearted John-John who also leapt through the window this morning. 

Big John is quick with a joke and light for your smoke, and if you ever heard him laugh, you’ll know what pure joy sounds like. His whole upper body creeps up to his ears as his shoulders bounce, his eyes squint and a too-high-pitched-for-his-barrel-chest laugh rolls out. It's the most infectious sound you’ve ever heard. I hope to hear that laugh again. 

As I write this, John remains unconscious and requires assistance to breath from a machine. The home he escaped from burned to the ground. His family, a wife and four sons, have lost everything. John has a long fight ahead of him, and we don’t fully understand the extent of his injuries. We’re just praying he makes it through tomorrow. 

We are asking you -- our friends, our family, and kind-hearted strangers -- to help us raise money for Erica, John and the kids: Benjamin, Samuel, Thomas and John-John. Insurance is going to take a long time to resolve, and they need a place to stay, clothes, food, hygiene supplies, and all the stuff you don’t even know you need until it’s gone. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to help ease the burden of their loss on his family. 

This is us, heart in hand, humbly asking for your help.